Israel’s Hysterical Fear Of Palestinian Children

One of the most powerful countries in the world seems to need justification for arresting, detaining and interrogating young children.

Israel has the greatest military might in the Middle East and its air force ranks second to none. Globally, it is the eighth most powerful. So their fear of mere kids may seem hysterical, but in fact it is extremely disturbing. However, more disturbing is the world’s, especially allies of Israel’s, acceptance of it.

According to a poll published by Jerusalem Media and Communications Center, 78.6 percent of Gaza youth support stabbing attacks. The poll also showed that 66.6 percent of Palestinian youth in Gaza and 40.9 percent in the West Bank believe the current wave of violence serves the Palestinian cause. Meanwhile, 64.3 percent of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip said they would not cooperate with Israelis even if they see eye to eye.

The poll comes just in time when the world is questioning Israel over keeping a 12-year-old prisoner.

This is the face of the “terrorist” the IDF soldiers captured and kept in jail for more than two months:

The world sees what Israel can’t and vice versa.

Photos of the 12 year old Palestinian Dima Al-Wawi after being released from the Israeli prison. Her eyes say it all pic.twitter.com/lE6b7OjYpt

One Palestinian child was killed by Israel every three days between 2000 and 2013.

Here are some more glimpses of the said “terrorists” supporting stabbing attacks:

The Public Committee against Torture in Israel claimed it is the only nation to automatically and systematically prosecute minors in military courts — and without a guarantee of a fair trial.

Around 700 Palestinian children, some as young as 12, are placed into military detention camps in Israel. A majority of them are held for trivial offenses such as throwing stones and at least 74 percent undergo physical violence during arrest, transfer or interrogation.

“Israel now allegedly detains children, aged 12-13, for 24 hours instead of four days, while children 14-15 years of age are now detained for two days before being sent to court comparing to four days as per previous measures,” stated a UNICEF report. “Yet, Israel did not change detention measures for children aged 16 -17.”

The report also detailed how heavily armed soldiers violently break into homes, before they force the children out of their beds and take them to interrogation facilities, cuffed, blindfolded and in a state of extreme fear.

In 2015, an Israeli committee approved a law allowing imprisonment of Palestinian children as young as 12, lowering the incarceration age from 14.

Israel's Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said the new steps would show "youths who engage in terror will not be shown mercy."

"We have been witness to many cases where serious crimes, including murder, attempted murder, and manslaughter were carried out by minors under 14," he added. "This must end."

Here are some of the dire stats published in a report by Defense for Children International Palestine, titled No Way to Treat a Child:

Out of 429 West Bank children detained between 2012 and 2015, three-quarters endured some form of physical violence following arrest.

In 179 out of 429 cases (41.7 percent), the Israeli military arrested children from their homes in the middle of the night.

In 378 out of 429 cases (88.1 percent), Israeli forces arrested children without notifying parents of the reason for arrest or the location of detention.

In 416 out of 429 cases (97 percent), children had no parent present during the interrogation or access to legal counsel. Israeli police also did not properly inform children of their rights in 84 percent of the cases.

Interrogators used position abuse, threats, and isolation to coerce confessions from some of these children.

66 children were held in solitary confinement, for an average period of 13 days.

More than 90 percent of children held in solitary confinement provided a confession.